Speculatin’: Black Culture, HIV, and Speculative Fiction

Speculatin’
An interview with aspiring academic Andre Carrington on black culture, HIV, and speculative fiction.

This summer a new CDC report on HIV and Black Gay Americana (sorry I don’t have the original CDC link. If you have it, plz pass it on.) hit the medical journals and came to the attention of HIV advocacy circles. In a five city study across the country 46% of black MSMs who participated in the study tested positive for HIV. Even more alarming was that of those black MSMs who tested positive a whopping 67% did not know their status.

This present day reality is not un-like futures that have been imagined by speculative writers like myself. As I struggle with the drudgery of writing my next play I find my desire to set the play in the future paused and instead place the story in the present. Shit’s too deep now – in my opinion – to write anything else.

But before I got too deep in writing this next play, this past summer I felt the need to reach out to someone who could provide insight into black folks, HIV, and speculative fiction. I reached out to a friend and aspiring academic, Andre Carrington who studies at New York University. Back when Carrington and I met last March, we bonded over our mutual love for sci fi by, for, and about blk folks. We began our conversation at Riis Beach in Queens, a NYC gay beach and home of P.O.C.C.’s Black Gay Pride, which had one of their largest HIV outreach events of the year two weeks prior to our beach sojourn.

In discussing speculative fiction and black culture, I wanted to first pose to him what is speculative fiction? How is it different from sci-fi? How does the present day reality of 46% of black gay men testing positive for HIV fit into a speculative fiction narrative?

And you all know that since, love is very much a part of my life, I couldn’t resist throwing questions about the heart to him (though at the time of the interview we both missed that his answer was re gender but not love. hmmm...).

So without any further ado, here it is, in two parts:

Part I
What is Speculative Fiction SF?
Carrington on Octavia Butler
Gender and SF

Part II
A Black Queer SF Paradigm Continued
Qualifyin'

The .pdf

Light,

Halloween Debauchery

There are some gems in this one baby. Shout out to Franchesa for her quick fingerz:

Day 1

bLk SF revolutionaries

bLk SF revolutionaries, originally uploaded by andresist.

Octavia Butler @ Hueman Bookstore, Harlem.

Some highlights:

Octavia suggests writer's block can be overcome by (1) running away from home/wherever you write regularly and writing some place you don't normally (2) getting a pet - they'll love you no matter if you write or not, and (3) falling in love 'cause you're already miserable anyways.

She's thinkin bout writing another Parable novel with the likely title being Parable of the Trickster.

I asked her what was her inspiration for Larkin's characer, Olamina's long-seperated daughter. I was particularly interested in her answer to this question as Larkin's critical voice of her mother stood out and really made - at least to me - Olamina's character that much more human. Octavia said that she based Larkin and Olamina's relationship on her own relationship with her mother who had recently passed away at the time she was writing the book. She said she held a lot of anger toward her mom and Larkin's character helped her to voice it.

She signed Parabale of the Sower and Talents, "To Andre, Best Wishes."

I gave her autographed copies of Descendants of Freedom playbook and DVD. She thanked me.

By that time, my joy/spirit had already taken root in the stars.

Light,

Black Power/Buy Nothing 'til Jan 2006

BLACK AMERICA'S
NO SPEND ZONE:
THE BLACK POWER OUTAGE
"Our Power is One Power."
Nov. 1, 2005 - Jan. 1, 2006

They left us without for 5 days? Let's leave them without for 2 months. They portray us as looters? Let's refrain from purchasing their goods.


Afromerica, readers, affiliates and millions of Black American's will conduct a show of Black Power beginning the month of November throughout to January 1, 2006. We are going to redirect our dollars away from mainstream retail holiday businesses - which are currently planning the future of our dollars for us for the paganist holiday season.

We are not asking that you refrain from purchasing goods and services for one (1) day, we are asking you refrain for two (2) months, from Nov 1 - Jan 1. The results of this effort will prove more than a one (1) day boycott, but will show nearly a quarters worth of income adjustment or loss for many businesses as a result of losing Black-spending power.

We are contacting many major Black businesses, media, movements and websites to ask for support and national promotion. This is the time to TURN OFF THE LIGHTS.

The following business types and services will become part of THE NO SPEND ZONE:


1. All companies tied into slave labor, prison labor, and exploitation of minority peoples, such as NIKE, HILFIGER, DELL, others: (if anyone has a list of companies, please submit them to us via email.)
2. No Electronics (TVs, cell-phones, stereos, all foreign exploitation)
3. No Automobiles or SUVs (keep your car serviced until 2006)
4. No Designer Clothes (other than Black owned)
5. No Beauty Cosmetics (you are already beautiful)
6. No Liquor, beer, wine (We know this will be hard for most and it takes discipline, but at least cut down)
7. No New Appliances (unless yours quit)
8. No restaurant meals (still remember how to cook? Save money)
9. No Furniture (that should be easy)
10. No Vacations (except to go see family members)
11. No Movies, CDs (except of Black origin)
12. No Toys (please do not spoil your children)
13. No House wares (unless something falls apart)
14. No Gifts (show love by your words and actions)
15. No Entertainment or Sporting Events (plays, movies, basketball (unless you got season tickets)

As you can see, most of the above goods and services are for leisure, necessities are just that. We can go 2 months without spoiling ourselves to make a statement, which is, "Our Power is One Power." We ask that the money you save you set aside or contribute it to a worthy Black cause or to the New Black Media Structure that
Afromerica will design and head up. It will be a media movement to get the voices of the masses heard: through Radio, TV, Newspapers, Newsletters, T-shirts and much more.

You do not have to contribute to Afromerica if you do not want to, but at least contribute to some worthy Black cause, such as a foundation, HBCU, or Black charity or spend with a Black business. Please take the time and discipline to do this, it will help to re-strengthen our national and international image and unity, as well as
make a statement. This will do more good than harm for us as a people.

Stay Strong,

CR Hamilton - Afromerica

Test Shows Vaccine Prevents Cervical Cancer

no, no, dig this article from washingtonpost.com... Merck is saying that the vaccine should be on the market by 2006. ...Just in time to save the company from the Vioxx scandal.